Chapter 3 – Narrow Trails
Julian took an apple, and headed up for the rooftop garden that Meraigyn kept while she and her students chattered over lunch, wanting a chance to get away from her ever watchful eye for a short while. For the last week, she'd been meticulous about keeping him in sight when he was outside of the room he'd been given. As if he were something novel and dangerous to the life that the people here had built.
He bit into the fruit, looking out over the valley as his mind once more came around to the problem of contacting someone back home. Extension courses at Starfleet Medical had not covered inter-galactic communications, and certainly no one here had given him the impression they would be willing to help him on this front. The sound of the trapdoor opening made him look over his shoulder as Lerik climbed onto the roof.
"Did Meraigyn send you to keep an eye on me?" Julian's voice had a hard edge to it, and he saw Lerik wince, the boy shaking his head.
"No." He came over, perching on one of the benches that were set so people could watch the sunset from the roof. "You said last week that you wanted a way to contact your Starfleet." His voice was calmly matter-of-fact, as if he was remarking on the weather.
Julian raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you know of a way to do so?"
Lerik shrugged. "I would have to get my hands on the schematics for the normal communications arrays, and find grandmother's notes on the inter-galactic void and the engines used to traverse it. Time to study them, materials to build a device, a place to use it." He wrinkled his nose. "I don't even know if it's possible, actually, or if I can make it work."
Julian took a seat on the other stone bench. "Is there anyone else who can, and is willing, to help with this?"
"The only other person I know who can and will isn't allowed to set foot on Terra Nova until her current host body is failing." He snorted. "Council didn't like Leet's ideas on re-establishing contact."
"How long would it take you?" Julian didn't like putting this kind of burden on a boy not even old enough to look after himself, but he had few options at the moment, and Lerik had offered to help. "Would it be useful for you to have an extra set of hands?"
"I don't know how long it would take, and Miss Lauriey isn't likely to let you down into the village for a while after what happened last week." The boy's black eyes met Julian's. "It'll be weeks, at least. Months, probably."
Julian sighed, glancing down into the valley again. He would be trapped here for some time yet. Perhaps he should do his best to at least work his way into Meraigyn's good graces, and out from under her constant vigil.
"Maybe, if you can convince Meraigyn you're not going to mention you want to go back, she'll let you come down in time for the harvest festival." Lerik grinned at Julian. "It's fun, everyone gets together, and we head to the city for the holiday. Everyone is at the city for the holiday." His eyes gleamed speculatively, though he held back what he was going to say as the trapdoor hissed open again.
Meraigyn smiled as she stuck her head over the edge. "Lerik, it's time to get going. Your parents will be upset if you don't return home on time."
Lerik hopped off the bench. "Really, it isn't all that bad here. You just gotta take time and get used to it." He flashed a grin at Julian, than dashed off to get himself home. Meraigyn came up, watching the boy as he left with an odd expression on her face.
"What were you two talking about?" She settled into the spot Lerik had vacated, tilting her head slightly with curiosity.
Julian smiled charmingly, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "He was hoping I'd be allowed out for the harvest festival." His tone held a sardonic note that made Meraigyn blush slightly, though she continued to hold his gaze.
"I have been an ungracious hostess. I apologize for my rudeness, it's just that the last guest I had never let go of wanting to go back." Her nose wrinkled slightly. "I don't know where she managed to run off to, and I'm afraid one of these days, Vanor is going to come home from one of her hunting expeditions with the girl's body. Or her bones."
"Quite a morbid thought."
Meraigyn shrugged. "It's possible, if you don't know the land, to get yourself killed in these mountains." She paused, then changed the subject. "I won't have the time today, since I have to fetch supplies from the village, but if you would like, there are several hiking trails through the mountains, and I can show you the best ones." She smiled. "There are some spectacular views along some of them."
Julian returned her smile. "It would be a pleasure."
"Morning, Julian." Meraigyn was packing a basket with food as he came into the kitchen, yawning. "I made up pancakes for breakfast, and there's fresh butter and preserves from Nia and Kerid to put on them."
"Sounds delicious." He found a plate on the table with the still steaming pancakes, along with the condiments she'd mentioned. "Packing a picnic lunch?"
"Apples, sausage, bread, cheese, and water. There's an excellent spot for a picnic along the trail that offers a spectacular view of a waterfall. About ten kilometers hike there." She tucked a table cloth into the top of the basket before closing it, and fastening the leather strap that kept it shut.
He finished his pancakes as she slathered her face and neck with sunblock, and offered to carry the basket.
"If you want, you may. Though you may find you'd rather not at one part of the trail. I've hiked out there before, so I can carry it." She shrugged. "And I'll carry it back if you carry it there."
Julian hefted the basket, sliding the straps over his shoulders while Meraigyn grabbed a pair of large water skins, slinging them across her back. Today she had a cloth tied over her hair rather than a hat, and she offered the sunblock and another head cloth to him before they headed out the kitchen door.
The day was warm, though there was a hint of the crispness that autumn would soon bring, and sunlight poured over the path as they climbed up the mountain, and through a narrow pass into another small valley. Below, a river wound between the trees, glittering as it rushed along. The walls were steep, and the path narrowed a short distance further along to little more than a goat trail.
He looked over at Meraigyn with a raised eyebrow. "How often have you hiked this trail?"
She shrugged, picking her way along the narrow ledge. "I've lost track. I hike it once every week or two from the time the ice melts in the spring until the first hard freeze in the winter." She paused, looking over her shoulder. "It's not as bad as it looks, Julian. It widens back out in about a kilometer and a half."
Julian shrugged, and slowly followed, keeping a cautious eye out for signs that the path was going to crumble under his feet. Ahead of him, Meraigyn gave every appearance of being unconcerned.
"Have you ever gone hiking before, Julian?" Her voice floated back to him as she slid around an outcropping of rock about a kilometer from the pass.
He edged his way around the rock before he replied. "I have, but not recently."
She chuckled, pointing out another outcropping about another half kilometer ahead on the trail. "See that rock? The trail widens beyond it, and then there's another four and a half kilometers to the waterfall." Meraigyn paused as she navigated a rough section. "What do you do for sport?"
"I play racquetball when I have a chance. I've played tennis before, but it's harder to play that on board a station without using a holosuite." He fell silent when the rocks under his feet rolled, concentrating on maintaining his balance on the narrow path.
There was a noise of discontent from Meraigyn. "I've never actually seen a game of racquetball, and I rather not even attempt tennis." She shrugged slightly. "I prefer hiking and swimming myself, and dance routines." Silence fell again as they navigated the rest of the section, eeling around the rock to find a broader path shaded by trees on either side. They paused, Meraigyn passing him one of the water skins after she took a long gulp.
"You said it was how much further?"
"Four and a half kilometers. All shaded like this until we get to the ledge above the waterfall. The view is gorgeous from there." She accepted back the water skin, starting off once more.
Meraigyn spread the cloth over the broad sandstone ledge as Julian observed the view. It was spectacular. Water thundered over the cliff about fifty meters away, foaming around jagged rocks forty meters below, the river churning from the pool it formed into a series of rapids that smoothed out as it continued along the valley floor. From their vantage point, in fact, the entire valley was visible, even the goat trail they'd come along.
"Gorgeous, isn't it?"
He turned to see Meraigyn grinning, the food already unpacked and laid out. She gestured towards the view to emphasize her question, and Julian nodded as he sat down with his back to the waterfall.
"It's one of the places I like to come a lot, and to show new arrivals under my watch." She reached for a sausage, wrapping it in bread along with some cheese, taking a bite as she looked out over the valley. "Most of Terra Nova is like this. Raw and untamed."
Julian helped himself to the food as well, hungry after the arduous hike. "It's a lovely view, though a bit difficult to get to."
Meraigyn looked over at him, and shrugged. "If you don't like hiking, I suppose it would be a trifle daunting." Another bite of food. "I'm sorry I left you without anything much to do for the last week." She colored slightly with embarrassment. "I was a bit paranoid about what you said about finding a ship heading back there, I'm afraid."
Julian echoed her earlier shrug. "I still hope I might find a ship going back at some point. Though I doubt it will be anytime soon."
"If ever." She gave him a sour look. "Just don't talk about it in company, Julian. There are very few people who even would want communication with the Milky Way, particularly the Alpha Quadrant, and they have learned to keep their opinion to themselves. Most of them."
"Most?"
Her nose wrinkled, and she was silent for several minutes before she spoke. "Dexi Leet. The Leet symbiote has not made herself popular with the people here with her outspoken views on contact with the parent races."
"I take it she would want to return?" He watched Meraigyn with curiosity in his expression, and she shrugged.
"I don't know if she wants to actually return. Though she definitely supports the idea that we should establish communications with them, let them know we exist. Needless to say, it is not a widely popular sentiment, particularly those who remember the Tal Shiar and the Obsidian Order."
"I would imagine."
"Would you like an apple, Julian?" Meraigyn's question made it clear she wouldn't pursue that line of conversation any further, and they soon found other topics to talk about as they ate.
Author's Notes
cryogenie -
I'm glad you are enjoying the story, and I do hope I keep Julian up to expectations. I will update as often as I can.
Samantha -
No one in this fandom could beat him out for my favorite, certainly... grins And here is more, and I do hope to have another chapter done in about a week or so.